First Day of School Awesome Activity

Twenty eight students are divided into six groups due to the seating arrangement. As a get-to-know--your-classmates activity each group makes a poster with their first names on it and answers to five questions such as what sports do you play and where were you born. The instructions beyond that are up to them; how they want to show their answers, arrange their names, by drawing, by words, graphs. It is up to them. I liked this activity because it helped students get to know their group and gave them an opportunity to be social on the first day of school. As a teacher I can walk around and see how some students work together or not and take note of strengths and weaknesses when students are working in a group. The impact on learning was overall positive. It gives the teacher a better idea of where their students are when communicating with others and working as a group and helps the students feel more welcome and comfortable in their new classroom.